Special NYC Screening

Gabriel has said he was not planning to see his new film Hereditary, but here he is, lining up for photo ops at a special screening of the film on June 5 at the Metrograph in New York City. Did he actually watch the film? Who knows! It is lovely that he turned up for the photoshoots, though, and he seemed happy to be there.

The cast and director Ari Aster, center

Gabriel and his partner in horror, Toni Collette

Our Intrepid Irishman

Production Notes

In this article from Toronto Life magazine, several of the miniatures used throughout the film are presented as images. You interact with the image by clicking on specific areas of the picture. The amount of detail in these “models” is stunning; some reviewers have called them “dollhouses,” but this work goes way beyond playing dolls. There are respected and successful artists whose medium is miniatures. Though their work is tiny, their achievement is still grand. Do read the entire article if you get the chance; the pictures are tons of fun!

Toronto Life Take a look at the creepy Toronto-made miniatures in Hereditary, the year’s scariest movie

In the film, Toni Collette plays a miniaturist who builds intricate dioramas of pivotal family moments, including some with her recently deceased mother. The tableaux are a mix of family drama and macabre scenes, much like the film itself. All of that delicate miniature work was done by Toronto-based visual effects artist Steve Newburn and his team at Applied Arts FX Studio. The film was originally meant to shoot in Toronto, and when production moved to Utah, they kept the Canadian special effects team.

According to writer-director Ari Aster, the miniatures are meant to signal that the characters are like dolls in a dollhouse without agency or control over their circumstances. But for Newburn, who also did the film’s prosthetic and makeup effects, the work was technical, not allegorical: it was just about basswood, card stock, insulation foam, paint, 3-D printing and deadlines. “I can’t worry about the philosophy or what the characters are thinking,” he says. “From an artistic standpoint it becomes almost impossible, because you’re always questioning whether you’re straying from the cinematic idea.” While some of the models were inspired by images Aster found online, most are miniature recreations of the set pieces and actors.

Like most movie models, these miniatures were built to be demolished on camera. It made for a unique kind of payoff for Newburn and his artists, who put in months of painstaking work, detail by detail, only to watch it all get smashed to pieces.

In the film, this model is displayed in the front hallway of the family home

Variant Posters

Fans of the film got to work right away on their own posters for Hereditary. Here are original takes on the film by two great poster artists.

Poster by Randy Ortiz

Poster by Mark Levy

Official Wallpaper

It’s here. It’s official. It’s scary. No animals were harmed. They promise!

Download this scary thing!

And I know the GB on the powder container stands for Gold Bond, but let’s pretend it’s Gabriel Byrne’s monogram, ok? Personalized body powder. Gosh. From what I hear, he is going to need it after this film. wink

Motivational Tweets

Get motivated to see the film, do your work on Mondays, and watch more movies!

Fin

For those of you who have seen the film and walked out of the theater less than happy about it, director Ari Aster responds to your reactions in this article. SPOILERS AHEAD for those who have not seen the film, so BEWARE! I have not read it, except for the part I quote below.

Matthew Jacobs/The Huffington PostHereditary’ Director Unpacks The Movie’s Plot And Responds To The People Who Hated It

“I knew it was going to be divisive in many respects, but I’ll admit that I’ve been surprised by just how deeply some viewers hate the thing.”

Like all great horror movies, Hereditary requires time to process ― a rumination period, if you will. The devil’s in the details, and the details can be hard to piece together the moment Judy Collins’ cover of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” serenades the end credits.

But it’s also the kind of movie you want to understand ― and the kind that seems to want you to understand it, even if writer/director Ari Aster told me he prefers “the David Lynch method of not explaining anything and allowing people to have their own experience.”

Aster can’t abscond with that Lynchian model just yet. Lynch’s macabre surreality doesn’t invite concrete interpretations, but the more precise mythology of “Hereditary” does.

Having seen the movie three times, I will say that the clues planted throughout its first half ― focused on the Graham family’s slow-burning trauma ― do pay off in its second half…

And that’s the last you will hear about Hereditary from me until I see the damned thing! LOL!

Now the wallpaper makes sense, yes?

7 Comments

  1. Thank you for sharing all this information about the movie. This is a movie that is not easy to forget!

    It is special and strange and not my cup of tea. But I am glad many people like it. Gabriel was as usual very interesting to watch! ☺❤

    • Thanks, Nora! <3

      I know this is not the kind of film you usually watch--and it's not something I usually watch either!

      I hope you read Ari's article about making the film and his response to people who don't like it. I know after I finally see it, I will read this to see what he has to say. I think he is surprised by our reactions, but actually, I just don't watch horror films, and that may be all there is to it! LOL!

  2. Verónica

    HAHAHA Stella, the best thing of all of what you wrote is your final phrase.
    In this crusade, as I told you earlier, I will not be by your side, neither of Gabriel’s. I am really sorry to not be loyal to him but I know myself and I like to sleep pleasantly at night LOL.
    But I know there are many horror film lovers, so my absence is not relevant.

  3. I was listening to a morning show last week and Mike Evans did movie reviews and gave this movie 4. Not my kind of movie, but hope it does well!!

  4. It was 4 of 4 stars! He loved it !!!

  5. DORA BARALIA

    HELLO MY FRIENDS, I CANNOT SEE THIS FILM YET, BUT I AM SEARCHING FOR IT, I WAIT AND MY HEART SUPPORTS THESE SCENES, AND I AM VERY HAPPY BECAUSE I CAN SEE THE FILMS LIES WE TELL AND IN THE CLOUD, BOTH EXCELLENT, LIKE ALL THE WORKS OF OUR GABRIEL THESE WERE MAGNIFICENT.. I WAIT FOR MORE, ALL MY FEELINGS FOR ALL YOU … KISSES

  6. Very interesting interview with the director. I may see it again with fresh eyes. Nice to see photos of all the cast together.

    Angelle

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